Wallace encourages prospective students to apply now for a maintenance Grant

Mary Wallace TD has today encouraged prospective students to apply now for a maintenance grant and not to wait until they have been accepted on a course.

Speaking today Deputy Wallace stated "Students are advised that to be eligible for financial assistance under the student grant schemes, a student must be entering an approved full-time course in an approved institution. They must also satisfy the eligibility conditions for the relevant scheme which include age, nationality, residence, academic progression and means. This year the rules about residence have changed. From 2010 there is a new requirement that prospective students must have lived in Ireland for three of the previous five years."

"There is one application form for all student grant schemes. These include the Higher Education Grant, the Vocational Education Committees’ Scholarship, the Third Level Maintenance Grant for Trainees and the Post-Leaving Certificate Maintenance Grant."

"Interested students can download the student grant application form for 2010/2011 and guidance notes from the studentfinance.ie website. The form is also available from your local vocational education committee (VEC) or your local authority. If students are applying for the Higher Education Grant they should send the completed form to their local authority. If they are applying for the other grants theyshould send the completed form to their local VEC. Students are also advised that they must apply to the local authority or VEC in their home area, not the area where the college is located. Please note the closing date is 31 August 2010".

"When a student has accepted a place on a course, he/she will need to fill in the course acceptance form that applies to them and return it to the local authority or VEC where they applied for a maintenance grant." Deputy Wallace concluded

Ends